Darkness Fades

Chapter 2

“Why?” I whisper, inching farther away from him. It’s not like I’m worried that I won’t be able to handle my own if I need to fight him. I’m just not sure what the Day Taker version of Aiden is going to be like. He could be a lot different from the guy I first met—maybe even dangerous.

“You told me you didn’t want to be one. That being a Day Taker was the wrong choice—that being human was right and now…” I pause at the lack of life in his eyes. It’s real. He’s really one of them. Why am I reacting so strangely over this? “Why did you do it?”

“That’s not important right now.” His fingers enfold around my arm and then he jerks me towards the open door. “We need to get out of here before the guards or one of the Highers comes out and finds us.” He then releases my arm and shoves at my back, pushing me out the door.

I slam to halt in the hallway just outside the cell. “I’m not going anywhere until I find Sylas. When we got separated… and… something happened to him, Aiden. He’s been infected by something and he… he needs our help.”

Aiden shakes his head. “No way. We have to go.”

I shake my head and stand firm, ready to fight. “I refuse to go without him.”

He rakes his fingers roughly through his hair, glancing behind him and then behind me. “We’re running out of time, Kayla. We need to go. Now.”

Deep down, I know he’s probably right. The logical thing would be to get the hell out of here before Gabrielle shows up, or a Watcher, but I stand firm, keeping my boots planted to the floor, refusing to budge. “I’m. Not. Going. Without. Him.”

I can’t leave Sylas here, especially if he’s changing into some kind of mutated, hybrid beast. I need to find him and see if he is still... well, Sylas. If he’s not… I’ll keep my promise and end his life. No matter how difficult it is. I’m tough. Strong. Plus, letting him become a beast is worse than death.

Aiden rakes his fingers through his hair again and then lets out a frustrated sigh. “All right, hurry up and search the other cages, but if he’s not in them, we have to go... we’ll come back and look for him later, when things cool off.”

He’s lying. I can feel it flowing off him, vile and foul. However, it doesn’t really matter. He may want to pretend like he’s in charge, but when it all comes down to it, I’m not leaving without Sylas. I’ll even kick his ass if I have to.

I nod, pretending I’m agreeing, and then run down the hall lined with cells, relishing in my freedom, which will only taste better when Sylas has freedom, too. God knows what they’ve done to him, if he’s still alive, or what he even looks like. Is there even a Sylas left to save? Sylas was once a Day Taker, things between a vampire and a human. But I haven’t seen him since he revealed that he’d been bitten by what I call an abomination; a disgusting creature that makes vampires look good. They’re strong though, big, and foul, and like to feed off the flesh and blood of humans. And Sylas could be one of them… he probably is and it hurts my heart in a way that I’m not used.

I check in each cell as I pass by. There’s fresh blood on the floors and splatters across the walls, but each cell is empty. As I reach the final cell, my quiet, dead heart drops in my chest because Sylas isn’t there.

“Kayla, come on,” Aiden says. “We have to go.”

“No, I’m not going.” I jerk my arm away from him as he grabs a hold of it. “I’m not giving up yet.”

“Juniper.” His voice is sharp as he jerks on my arm. “I’m not going to let you stay here longer.”

It takes all my energy not to knock him to the floor. I dig my feet into the ground, ready to kick his ass; my fist clenching, my muscles winding into knots. Then I hear the soft thud of approaching footsteps and my anger turns to tension. As my head snaps in the direction the noise is coming from, I spot the dark outline of a tall figure moving in our direction.

“If you don’t go,” Aiden tries one more time as he tugs on my arm, “then hope for humanity is lost. You’re the one who has to save everyone, Kayla. Now please, come on. We’ll come back for Sylas. I promise.” This time I don’t feel the lie flowing off him.

I hesitate as the figure moves closer. I know he’s right, yet I’m so conflicted it feels as though my body is being ripped in half. I want to stay, yet I need to go. Go. Stay. Go. Spinning around in the opposite direction, I grab Aiden by the hand. ”Come on, let’s go.” It hurts to say it, and I feel like I’m going to throw up with each stride I take, yet I fight it, moving forward.

Holding onto my hand, he leads me to the right and we run as the footsteps chase after us. The lights above our heads flicker on and off, shadows dancing along the walls as we race towards the hole in the wall that was once the red door. As we’re about to reach it, an eruption of shouts echo from behind us.

I risk a quick glance over my shoulder while I keep moving forward. Gabrielle stands by the entrance of the cell that I was locked in only minutes before. He takes in the sight of the empty room then his gaze jerks in our direction.

“Go get them!” he yells, the anger in his voice reverberating down the hallway.

The Watchers stay frozen in place, filling up the hallway, with masks covering their faces. They refuse to move and finally, Gabrielle shoves one of them in our direction.

“Get moving,” he shouts, however the Watcher simply trips, regains his balance and then stands motionless, watching Aiden and I run without chasing us.

Gabrielle’s pale eyes burn with rage as he reaches over and snatches hold of one of the Watcher’s arms, jerking them close to him. His fangs descend and then he plunges the tips into the Watcher, who grows limp as Gabrielle drinks from his body, slurping the blood like it’s a drink until finally he releases the Watcher and the body slumps to the floor. A look of satisfaction arises on Gabrielle’s face as he stares down at the dead Watcher. Then he reaches up and wipes the blood off his face with the back of his hand before he raises his eyes back up to me. Our gazes lock and a silent exchange takes place; he’ll come after me. I know it, feel it, see it.

Suddenly, a blur of white moves up behind Gabrielle and his head snaps in the direction of the object. I stumble over my feet as I struggle to see what it is, but it’s too blurry, too dark. Wait a minute… Monarch.

He steps out from behind Gabrielle at the same time his eyes lock on Aiden and I as we bend down to dive through the hole in the wall. As he disappears out of my sight, a slightly satisfied grin rises on his face.

“Kayla, come on!” Aiden’s voice jerks me back to reality as he tugs my arm, hauling me the rest of the way through the hole.

We scramble all the way through and dive headfirst into a dark room, landing on our knees. Aiden quickly pulls me to my feet. I blink several times as my eyes gradually adjust to the inadequate light.

“How do we get out of here?” I ask Aiden, glancing at the four walls, floor and ceiling. The only noticeable way out is the hole we just dove through.

“Just a second.” Aiden scans the darkness, tensing when the vampires cry out from just outside of the walls; hungry and ready to feed or infect. Just like that hybrid beast did with Sylas. God, I feel icky… guilty maybe…

Aiden walks over to the corner of the room with his hand out in front of him until his fingers brush a piece of plastic. He lifts it up and on the other side of it is a vacant road.

“What the hell?” I mutter, hurrying over to him.

He sticks his head out after taking a cautious glance outside. Then he steps out, holding up the piece of plastic, motioning for me to follow.

I hesitate, glancing over my shoulder, torn on what do to. “Where are we going?”

“To the only place we have left to go,” he says and I look back at him. “Back to the cave where I left everyone.”

I dither a few seconds longer, struggling with my morals, and then irrevocably step out into the street. The sky is dark; covered with grey clouds and smoke. Debris litters the ground and fires burn in the distance, reminding me that there are still problems and dangers to face.

Aiden and I begin to run towards the park where we used to play when we were kids. The ground is a sheet of ash and the remaining trees are charred. Vampire cries echo all around us, but I can’t seem to spot a damn one. It’s like we’re running for hours and, although I don’t grow tired, I start to get impatient.

Aiden is the complete opposite; he seems content as he easily runs while taking even strides. He’s also more confident and less afraid of the world. It makes me question if he’s glad he chose not to stay human, even after all his negativity directed towards the choice. Maybe now that he’s tasted what it’s like, he’s glad he did it and regrets that he didn’t do it sooner. Or maybe it merely changed him enough that he lost who he was before he became a Day Taker.

After running for what seems like an eternity, we finally slow down when it feels like we’re a safe distance away from the hideout and cells., just outside of the city limits where abandoned buildings stretch toward the smoky sky. As I turn and look at the building, which looks like a little dot now in the distance, my eyes scan the terrain and I relax when I don’t see any movement. We’re not being followed. Good. But why?

I look away back to Aiden. He still hasn’t answered my question either, like what the hell happened that he deiced to become one of us.

“What?” he asks, his eyes locked on the terrain where fires crackle and smoke rises to the sky. “Why are you staring at me?”

“Because you never answered my question,” I say, crossing my arms. “Why did you change?”

He’s silent for forever, either avoiding my question or considering it; it’s hard to tell because his new demeanor is hard to read. Finally, he sighs. “Do you really not know the answer to that already?” He slants his head to the side and our gazes meet. His expression is intense. His eyes are burning with passion. It kind of throws me off a little, enough that I step back. “It was for you, Juniper.”

“That doesn’t make any sense. You hated that I chose to become a Day Taker myself. You said that I wasn’t me anymore—wasn’t even human,” I remind him. “Why would you want to throw all your beliefs away because of me?”

“Because of Maci.” Maci is the little girl who was throw out of The Colony with me during The Gathering and she just happens to be able to see the future, although she never gives specific details just hints, which can get frustrating.

He hesitates then moves to the side, getting close to me, and then he reaches for my hand, lacing our fingers together. Despite my initial reaction to jerk back, I just stand there, confused.

“When Tristan told us that you were captured, Maci said you were going to die, and so would the world. I told you earlier that I’d always be there for you. And I meant it. Whatever it takes, I’ll be there for you; even if it means turning into my own worst enemy.”

I can tell that he wants to kiss me, and before I can do anything about it, he pulls me into him. As he leans in, I battle with my confliction. Part of me wants to kiss him, for reasons I can’t even process at the moment; however, the other part of me knows it’s wrong. I’m about to lean away, listening to my final thought, when the other side of me pushes through.

I want to kiss him. I want him more than anything else in the world. I want him more than Sylas. We belong together.

I blink, wondering where the thought came from.

Aiden reaches down and fixes a finger under my chin. He gently tilts my head up towards his with his fingertips, his eyes shutting as his lips inch towards mine. He's breathing raggedly, his chest colliding with mine. If I had a heartbeat, I’d bet it’d be racing.

My eyes remain open as I cup the back of Aiden’s neck, about to kiss him, but then I picture Sylas. His eyes, his cocky attitude that makes him annoying, yet at the same time, I can’t seem to stay away from him. Deep down, I know I want to be kissing him. What am I doing? What am I thinking? Why am I ready to kiss Aiden?

No, I want to kiss Aiden.

No Sylas.

Aiden.

Shit. I’m so confused.

It clicks what’s going on. Shaking my head, I remove my hand from Aiden’s neck and push him away. He jumps back, startled, and then stumbles ungracefully over his feet a little, clutching onto my hand for support. His eyelids lift open and confusion masks his expression. “What’s wrong Juniper?”

“Why did you just do that?” I ask, slipping my hand from his hold.

“What? Try to kiss you?” he asks, gaping at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Because I wanted to.”

“Well, don’t do that,” I tell him, swallowing hard.

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want you to. And stay out of my head.”

Shaking his head, he turns his back to me. “It would have been a great kiss if you wouldn’t have lost your damn mind and shoved me away.” He starts to stalk away, but I jump in front of him.

“Lost my mind? You were in my mind… you were manipulating my thoughts.” I push him, but this time he doesn’t stumble. “I could feel you inside my head. You were making me feel those things… like I wanted to kiss you—wanted to be with you.”

I shove him again, this time much harder, and the force launches him in the air much harder than I intended. I fold my arms across my chest and cringe as he crashes into a vehicle just behind us. Metal bends and concaves under his weight then ashes scatter and float in the air.

Aiden lands on the ground hard, asphalt debris shattering under his weight. He quickly gets to his feet, and with three long strides, he closes the distance between us. He leans into my face, anger burning in his eyes as he balls his fists. For a second, I think he is going to attack me, but I just stare at him, refusing to back away. Although, when he raises his fist, making me think he’s going to hit me, I turn to leave, not wanting to fight. Not right now. Not here. Not when there are other things I need to take care of.

He captures me by the elbow as I start to storm away, stopping me in my tracks. I turn my head and try to shrug him off. “Let go of me.”

Aiden’s eyes widen in shock. “Juniper, I’m not going to hurt you.”

I shake my head in disbelief as I glance at his hand on my arm, his fingertips digging into my skin. “You’re not?” I question with doubt.

He releases my arm and then rakes his fingers through his hair. “I would never hurt you. You have to believe me that I wouldn’t.”

I sigh because I can actually feel that he’s telling the truth. “I believe…” I trail off, my eyes wandering to my left at something heading towards us… something large.

Aiden follows my gaze and his eyes snap wide as the creature weaves in a fast pattern between the cars in the road. We take off at the same time, sprinting in the opposite direction as fast as our legs will carry us. Yet, I can hear the panting of the creature getting closer at the same time the ground cracks beneath its feet as it runs on all fours.

When I glance over my shoulder, I realize just how big of a problem we have. There’s not just one, there are many creatures chasing after us in a herd. Their fleshless bodies are a repulsive sight to behold, their fangs out, nipping as saliva drips from their mouths. It makes my guilt arise again because they’re the same creatures that bit Sylas. Or as Dominic called them, vampire abominations. It reminds me that Sylas could very easily be one of them.